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The Big Questions (text only) 8th (Eighth) edition by R. C. Solomon,K. M. Higgins
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423 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Robert C. Solomon
124 books171 followersRobert C. Solomon (September 14, 1942 – January 2, 2007) was a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
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April 23, 2021
این کتاب ۷۰۰صفحهای جدید که توسط نشر چشمه منتشر شده(با قیمت ۱۴۰هزار تومان) و به چاپ دوم رسیده است، کتابیست متفاوت و کاربردی برای کسانی که میخواهند موضوعات اصلی مورد بحث در فلسفه را بدانند.
مؤلفان آن کوشیدهاند همه این «پرسشها» را به شیوهای موجز مورد بررسی قرار دهند تا خواننده_که احتمالاً دانشجوی ترمهای اول فلسفه یا دانشآموز دبیرستانی و یا صرفاً علاقمند است_ به صورت منسجم با آنها آشنا شود.
بیشتر کتابهای آموزش فلسفه رویکردی تاریخی دارند و از آنجا که این تاریخ معمولاً بسیار پیچیده و مطوّل است، گزینش از آن فرایندیست بهناچار تقلیلگرایانه که اگر با دقت انجام نشود، میتواند به درک درست مخاطب از مطالب عنوان شده ضربه بزند. ارزش این کتاب همین جا مشخص میشود: این که به جای تمرکز بر «فیلسوفان» و «فلسفهشان،» بر اساس«سؤالات» و «پاسخ فلاسفه مختلف به آنها» فهرست شده است. در انتهای هر فصل، منابع مهم بسیاری برای مطالعه بیشتر معرفی شده که میتواند به عنوان نقشه راه برای ادامه مورد استفاده قرار بگیرد. همچنین واژهنامه انتهای کتاب نیز جامع و مفید است. این کتاب فقط برای «تمام» کردن نیست، بلکه میتوان با راهنمایی آن مطالعه جدی و نظاممند فلسفه را شروع کرد.
در آخر باید ذکر کنم که ترجمه آن نیز قابل قبول است اما در برخی موارد به نظر نارسائیهایی وجود دارد(مثلاً در فصل مربوط به آزادی، به نظر ترجمه کمی گنگ است.)
خواندن این کتاب را علاوه بر علاقمندان، به دوستان فلسفهخواندهام نیز پیشنهاد میکنم.
مؤلفان آن کوشیدهاند همه این «پرسشها» را به شیوهای موجز مورد بررسی قرار دهند تا خواننده_که احتمالاً دانشجوی ترمهای اول فلسفه یا دانشآموز دبیرستانی و یا صرفاً علاقمند است_ به صورت منسجم با آنها آشنا شود.
بیشتر کتابهای آموزش فلسفه رویکردی تاریخی دارند و از آنجا که این تاریخ معمولاً بسیار پیچیده و مطوّل است، گزینش از آن فرایندیست بهناچار تقلیلگرایانه که اگر با دقت انجام نشود، میتواند به درک درست مخاطب از مطالب عنوان شده ضربه بزند. ارزش این کتاب همین جا مشخص میشود: این که به جای تمرکز بر «فیلسوفان» و «فلسفهشان،» بر اساس«سؤالات» و «پاسخ فلاسفه مختلف به آنها» فهرست شده است. در انتهای هر فصل، منابع مهم بسیاری برای مطالعه بیشتر معرفی شده که میتواند به عنوان نقشه راه برای ادامه مورد استفاده قرار بگیرد. همچنین واژهنامه انتهای کتاب نیز جامع و مفید است. این کتاب فقط برای «تمام» کردن نیست، بلکه میتوان با راهنمایی آن مطالعه جدی و نظاممند فلسفه را شروع کرد.
در آخر باید ذکر کنم که ترجمه آن نیز قابل قبول است اما در برخی موارد به نظر نارسائیهایی وجود دارد(مثلاً در فصل مربوط به آزادی، به نظر ترجمه کمی گنگ است.)
خواندن این کتاب را علاوه بر علاقمندان، به دوستان فلسفهخواندهام نیز پیشنهاد میکنم.
October 23, 2015
Robert C. Solomon's Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy did exactly what it was supposed to do: explain the subject matter of philosophy clearly and make that subject matter relevant to everyday life. Any student who will use this book in a classroom will have a basic idea of what philosophy is and why the subject is meaningful and relevant. The book is centered around some basic questions:
1. What is the meaning of life?Although it might seem as though the book provides little in the way of definitive answers to these questions, the real purpose is to provoke the reader or student to formulate some answer to these questions for himself or herself. Again, I recommend this book, and I think it would be excellent for an introduction to philosophy course.
2. Is there a God, and what is the nature of God?
3. What is the nature of reality?
4. What is truth? What does it mean to say something is true?
5. What is "the self"?
6. What is freedom?
7. What makes a life moral and good?
8. What is the nature of a just and good society?
9. How are issues of sex, race, and culture related to philosophy?
10. What is beauty?
May 18, 2015
This is a fantastic introduction because it recognizes the central aspect of philosophy as the careful articulation of one's own thoughts, and it encourages the reader to dive in and do philosophy while he or she works through the fundamental human questions in the book.
Solomon and Higgins introduce the big ideas philosophers have been grappling with through the ages; present several classic perspectives for each; encourage the reader to examine and develop his or her own thoughts by asking targeted questions; and, they point the reader to additional sources for further investigation.
Philosophy is often dismissed as out of touch with modern life--why should we listen to a bunch of old dead white guys, anyway? This book places the reader at the center of the philosophical project, and it immediately involves him or her in the great questions humans have pondered throughout the ages.
A big cheer for "The Big Questions."
Solomon and Higgins introduce the big ideas philosophers have been grappling with through the ages; present several classic perspectives for each; encourage the reader to examine and develop his or her own thoughts by asking targeted questions; and, they point the reader to additional sources for further investigation.
Philosophy is often dismissed as out of touch with modern life--why should we listen to a bunch of old dead white guys, anyway? This book places the reader at the center of the philosophical project, and it immediately involves him or her in the great questions humans have pondered throughout the ages.
A big cheer for "The Big Questions."
August 18, 2021
این کتاب یکی از کاملترین مدخلهای فلسفی با رویکرد موضوعی بود که تا حالا خونده بودم. در هر فصل موضوعی انتخاب شده و سعی شده بود به شکل مقدماتی و در عین حال کاملی از نظر خود موضوع و از جهت نظر فیلسوفان دربارهٔ اون موضوع بررسی شود. نویسندگان در مقدمه توضیح دادند که معلمهای فلسفه میتوانند از این کتاب همچون کتاب درسیشان استفاده کنند. هر فصل با تعدادی سؤال شروع و با تعدادی سؤال دیگر تمام شدهاند که به خواننده کمک میکند تا پیش از شروع بحث باورهای خودش را به چالش بکشد و پس از مطالعهٔ فصل به جمعبندی باورهایش بپردازد. یکی از نقاط قوت کتاب بهنظرم مربوط به ارجاعات فمینیستی آن در برخی فصول میشد. مثلاً در فصل مربوط به اخلاق، به اخلاق فمینیستی هم اشاره شده بود.
May 14, 2012
Highly recommended as an overview of important philosophical thought. Well-written and engaging.
February 15, 2020
如书名所言，本书通过哲学中的一些大问题来引导读者思考和“做”自己的哲学，对于每一个大问题介绍了相关的子问题以及具有代表性的一些哲学思想和流派。作者在介绍不同的思想的时候，基本是客观的，会启发读者从支持和反对的两种态度去辩证地思考问题，作为一本入门书是非常好的。读之前我还想，能有多大的问题啊。结果真香。真的是一些感觉不仔细思考，这一生就白过了的问题，激动的同时也有点累。书里引的原文有些真的好难读，这再次提醒我不要轻易读第一手哲学资料。
May 25, 2014
This is a superb text for teaching Introduction to Philosophy. The writing is clear and concise, which is not always true, even of books written for freshmen, and the author comprehensively covers all of the major areas of philosophy. Anyone who was a simply interested in philosophy for their own enjoyment would find this a good place to start.
February 24, 2012
最好的哲学入门了。豆瓣上说的很好，清晰晓畅。
July 12, 2019
A good round up of some of the most important philosophers, and discussion on their views. If you are starting from zero, it's probably a good text. A nice index that does not form a full view, but will give good references on where to expand your knowledge on said philosophers.
March 28, 2024
今年完成的第一本稍微有点厚度的书。
涵盖了意义、上帝、实在、自我、自由和真善美等基本问题。
涵盖了意义、上帝、实在、自我、自由和真善美等基本问题。
March 23, 2013
This was my introduction to philosophy and it has been one of the best books I've read. I was a high school student without knowledge of any philosophical arguments but this was comprehensive and easy to understand. Solomon writes clearly, and well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to start somewhere in the field of philosophy.
August 30, 2007
EXCELLENT!
November 21, 2020
2020-05-21 读过 标签: 哲学 人生在世，关于看世界的大问题。以问题为导向，非常发散，讲讲前人怎么想的，想想自己应该怎么思考。被马哲填鸭式洗脑的中国人尤其需要看一看，都没看过其他类型的思考，怎么能抱着马克思开始信奉。 看前几章讲上帝真理自我什么的一直心神不宁眼脑漂移，后来到了自由和正义精神来了，倒是津津有味。
December 20, 2020
A great introductory book on the most central topics/questions in philosophy accompanied by representing philosophers and major thesis. Topics discussed are meaning of life, god, nature of reality, search for truth, self, freedom, morality, justice, sex and race and beauty. All thesis of major topics in philosophy can be found here and serve as a highly generalized version of survey for all of these thesis.
September 8, 2021
The title is very self-explanatory. This is the kind of book I wish I had in the physical version because I am sure I'll get back to it very often in the future when I get myself thinking about any philosophical issue. It is important when you start reading it to be open-minded to reflect and maybe change personal opinions about many topics, always taking notes to get back to later.
August 28, 2024
It gives a thorough overview of the major topics specially if one wants to have an idea about epistemology, as well the three big questions: 1- who/ what am I? 2- what is the nature of reality? Or where am I and 3- what should I do. Highly recommended for starting a philosophical journey and finding a philosophical mind (with emphasis on the “start”).
100-199-philosophy
October 31, 2019100
December 23, 2019
One of the best introductions to philosohy. Love the clear prose style
February 4, 2022
以问题为导向介入哲学，比之之前看的西方哲学史，《大问题》无疑更适合入门，至少在引起兴趣方面要强出不少。但也正因此，它缺少那些以时间线索编排的哲学史书本所能提供的关于哲学的发展和各位哲学大家思想汇总的清晰脉络。
June 4, 2022
哲學入門好書
October 17, 2022
Very well laid out introduction to philosophy.
January 30, 2023
刚刚好的哲学入门书，对比起其他的，这本书无识货、古今中外、古往今来，能讲到的哲学命题基本都涵盖了。最突出的一点是对每个问题设置与读者可能自身相关的问题，引发思考和跟随作者探索命题的兴趣。
May 29, 2025
Phil 104’den Ahmet Hoca sayesinde geri kalanını da yazın gibi okuduğum bir kitap çok güzel dersti keşke her yıl böyle dersim olsa…
June 23, 2020
A really good introductory book to philosophy! It covers a lot of different topics, introduces various theories and philosophers and integrates questions and quotations!
However it glosses over a lot of topic and if you don't take notes and really think about the topics, you would probably forget all the concepts. Another book that is relatively harder to understand but is more thorough in explaining philosophy concepts include the Oxford's Introduction series which has a book on philosophy.
However it glosses over a lot of topic and if you don't take notes and really think about the topics, you would probably forget all the concepts. Another book that is relatively harder to understand but is more thorough in explaining philosophy concepts include the Oxford's Introduction series which has a book on philosophy.
August 28, 2014
We push those questions arising from our contact to the immediate surrounding reality to an infinite extent and seek some reasonable, coherent, and consistent answers, then call this pursuit Philosophy. But the pushing to the infinite is simply wrong; infiniteness is incomprehensible, and bound to lead to contradictions, as is clearly demonstrated in mathematics and cosmology, in which infiniteness is tactfully circumambulated around.
Philosophy is indeed futile. The only thing that can benefit from it is eloquence. Philosophy is but the exploit of the ambiguities of our languages.
如果大家前提一致，又没有人故意在其中搅混水，最终应该是没有争论的。哲学中的许多争论根本就是道不同不相为谋和鸡对鸭讲。
论辩的技术是可以仔细学习的（这本书的一个好处就是专门辟出篇幅指导写哲学和辩论，在正文中也可以看出来比较强调这一点），各家的结论大家看看就好了，好的哲学中有警句，有优美的散文；至于尝试用枯燥的形式力图言之凿凿，尼采说得好"The will to a system is a lack of integrity... a subtle corruption, a philosopher trying to appear more stupid than he really is."。
这本书是按主题安排内容的，这和我读过的其他导论按哲学史安排不同。好处在于把西方哲学中的一些主题中来源于其文化和语言中隐含的假设的诡辩暴露得更明显了。关于神的证明和我的想法在读书笔记中已经讲明了。还有两个例子我印象比较深刻：
书中不断追问一个不受任何其他外部影响，也不受自己的物质身体影响的真的"我"；这不是扯淡吗，还是佛教高明，不仅承认一切发生（每个人的每个选择）都是有内在外在原因（因缘），而且根本否认有"我"，或者说是灵魂或自性。这是受语言中"self"和基督教中自由意志误导的结果。
还有关于身心问题，假设一个别于物质的脑存在的意识，胡搅蛮缠说身体感受不了痛觉只有意识能够直接感受，这无疑也是受到了语言和文化影响而留下的一些顽固的后遗症。
That you can imagine something only makes it plausible but not probable. By the same token, that you cannot imagine something would not suffice to deny its probability. Propositions do not lose authenticity because they sound odd; ingenious ideas cannot be refuted on grounds of being intolerable.
Philosophy is indeed futile. The only thing that can benefit from it is eloquence. Philosophy is but the exploit of the ambiguities of our languages.
如果大家前提一致，又没有人故意在其中搅混水，最终应该是没有争论的。哲学中的许多争论根本就是道不同不相为谋和鸡对鸭讲。
论辩的技术是可以仔细学习的（这本书的一个好处就是专门辟出篇幅指导写哲学和辩论，在正文中也可以看出来比较强调这一点），各家的结论大家看看就好了，好的哲学中有警句，有优美的散文；至于尝试用枯燥的形式力图言之凿凿，尼采说得好"The will to a system is a lack of integrity... a subtle corruption, a philosopher trying to appear more stupid than he really is."。
这本书是按主题安排内容的，这和我读过的其他导论按哲学史安排不同。好处在于把西方哲学中的一些主题中来源于其文化和语言中隐含的假设的诡辩暴露得更明显了。关于神的证明和我的想法在读书笔记中已经讲明了。还有两个例子我印象比较深刻：
书中不断追问一个不受任何其他外部影响，也不受自己的物质身体影响的真的"我"；这不是扯淡吗，还是佛教高明，不仅承认一切发生（每个人的每个选择）都是有内在外在原因（因缘），而且根本否认有"我"，或者说是灵魂或自性。这是受语言中"self"和基督教中自由意志误导的结果。
还有关于身心问题，假设一个别于物质的脑存在的意识，胡搅蛮缠说身体感受不了痛觉只有意识能够直接感受，这无疑也是受到了语言和文化影响而留下的一些顽固的后遗症。
That you can imagine something only makes it plausible but not probable. By the same token, that you cannot imagine something would not suffice to deny its probability. Propositions do not lose authenticity because they sound odd; ingenious ideas cannot be refuted on grounds of being intolerable.
January 13, 2013
I was always interested in philosophy, frequently loosing myself in thoughts of metaphysics and epistemology. This was, however, before I really knew what it was all about. Then I began my college career, and was assigned this book as the text for my introductory class.
First of all, the professor for this class was superb; Easily the best professor I have had. He was a well-to-do older fellow (world was 2 vet, 85 years old at the time) with very strong christian morals...But a helluva mind.
This book, though, is very well written. It is informative, to the point, and yet elaborate when necassary. This book specifically caters towars those who have no previous knowledge of philosophy, and actually does an amazing job at getting even the most "romantically" (In Robert Pirsig's terms) minded people involved. The only thing I'd change is the layout of the chapters, and some inconsistencies within the text. I swear a few pages were added as fillers, leaving us with a very awkward picture of a cat as an example for "pragmatism."
Other than these minor details, great read.
Henry the Fifth
First of all, the professor for this class was superb; Easily the best professor I have had. He was a well-to-do older fellow (world was 2 vet, 85 years old at the time) with very strong christian morals...But a helluva mind.
This book, though, is very well written. It is informative, to the point, and yet elaborate when necassary. This book specifically caters towars those who have no previous knowledge of philosophy, and actually does an amazing job at getting even the most "romantically" (In Robert Pirsig's terms) minded people involved. The only thing I'd change is the layout of the chapters, and some inconsistencies within the text. I swear a few pages were added as fillers, leaving us with a very awkward picture of a cat as an example for "pragmatism."
Other than these minor details, great read.
Henry the Fifth
September 10, 2008
I read this a while back along with a book called "13 Thinkers" or something like that which was another intro to philosophy book that my dad owned a copy of from his college days. It was my first introduction to philosophy that I can remember. I really enjoyed it and was baffled by a lot of it too. I kinda forgot about philosophy for a couple years after reading it until I went to college. It was interesting for me to see what kind of things my dad was underlining in the book as well. I remember him underlying a line about Spinoza and some other things about god, as he was attending a religious university and whatnot.
September 7, 2015
Philosophy has always been a discipline that often captures my interest. My current read, The Big Questions is all about that; Philosophy. I like how the author talks about a variety of things we encounter, discuss and experience in our daily lives. Robert talks about Religion, God, faith and what we believe in. He talks of the types of knowledge; Empirical (one gets through experience) and Priori (knowledge that is independent, before any experience.)He also talks of freedom and goes to great lengths to explain it. It's a great read for starters who want to grasp a thing or two about philosophy and Logic.
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